Waukesha, WI Noise Ordinances: Quiet Hours (2026)
Quiet hours in Waukesha, WI, also called the noise ordinance, nighttime noise rules, or residential quiet time, define the hours during which excessive noise is prohibited.
Key Facts
- Governing standard
- Any noise unreasonably disturbing peace/quiet
- Fixed hours
- None; standard applies at any time
- Abatement notice period
- 24 hours for immediate-danger nuisances
- Enforcing officials
- Police Chief, Health Dept., Building Inspector
- First-offense fine
- $10 to $2,500 (§ 25.05)
Summary
Waukesha declares any noise that unreasonably disturbs the peace and quiet of nearby persons a public nuisance affecting peace and safety, without setting fixed clock hours, and enforces it through the City's general nuisance penalty rather than a decibel meter.
The following acts, omissions, places, conditions and things are declared to be public nuisances affecting peace and safety, but such enumeration shall not be construed to exclude other nuisances affecting public peace or safety coming within the provisions of §12.02 of this chapter: ... (Am. #37-91) Noise of any kind tending to unreasonably disturb the peace and quiet of persons in the vicinity thereof. ... 12.15 Penalty. Except as otherwise provided, any person who shall create or maintain a public nuisance shall be subject to a penalty as provided in §25.05 of this Municipal Code.
Full Breakdown
Municipal Code § 12.05, Public Nuisances Affecting Peace And Safety Defined, lists eighteen conditions the City treats as public nuisances, and item (10), added by Ord. #37-91, is 'Noise of any kind tending to unreasonably disturb the peace and quiet of persons in the vicinity thereof.' Unlike Chapter 11's Sound Trucks rule at § 11.18, which sets specific clock hours for vehicle-mounted amplifiers, § 12.05(10) is a general, hour-agnostic standard: any noise, from any source, at any time, that a reasonable person would find disturbs the peace and quiet of people nearby qualifies.
That makes it the City's catch-all for loud parties, construction outside a permit window, barking machinery or other disturbances that don't fit a more specific ordinance. Enforcement follows Chapter 12's abatement process at § 12.06: a complaint to the Mayor triggers an inspection by the Chief of Police, Health Department or Building Inspector, and if the officer finds a public nuisance presenting great and immediate danger to public peace, the Chief of Police can serve notice demanding abatement within 24 hours before the City abates it and bills the owner or occupant.
Where the danger is not immediate, the City instead files a circuit court action under Wis. Stat. Chapter 823. The specific penalty for a § 12.05 nuisance is set at § 12.15, not left to the general Chapter 11 rule, and it points to the citywide forfeiture schedule at § 25.05.
Violations & Fines
Under § 12.15, creating or maintaining a public nuisance, including unreasonable noise under § 12.05(10), draws a penalty under § 25.05: a forfeiture of not less than $10 nor more than $2,500 for a first offense and not less than $100 nor more than $5,000 for each later offense, plus prosecution costs, with each day the nuisance continues counted as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Waukesha have set quiet hours for noise complaints?
Who investigates a noise complaint in Waukesha?
What can I be fined for an unreasonable noise violation in Waukesha?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waukesha
Compare Waukesha to another location·View the Wisconsin noise ordinances overview
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